Don't miss out on all the great AR talks at VRDC Fall 2017!

As Virtual Reality Developers Conference organizers wrap up preparations for VRDC Fall 2017, they want to make sure you know about some of the great sessions about augmented reality that are happening at the event, which is happening September 21-22 at a bigger, better venue in San Francisco!

For example, Playlines creative director Rob Morgan and technical director Dustin Freeman will be at VRDC Fall 2017 to speak about "Creating 'Heads-Up Narratives in AR: Lessons Learned." Location-based AR experiences are now mainstream (see Pokemon Go) and so the pair will discuss their experiences developing narrative-driven site-specific AR experiences, demonstrating the enormous opportunities and unexpected pitfalls of location-based AR.

Morgan and Freeman will also outline the design and technical tools they have developed working in location-based AR, demonstrate how narrative and gameplay can re-contextualize the user's environment to create immersion (without requiring expensive graphics), and finally will show the potential for growth in AR experiences that are fully integrated into cities, venues or conferences.

It's worth checking out for anyone interested in using VR/AR beyond gaming and entertainment; attendees will learn how VR/AR and virtual humans can be applied to study human behavior and specific ailments, and how they can lead to various treatments for PTSD or pain.

Of course, the Khronos Group (creators of OpenGL) launched the OpenXR working group at GDC 2017 earlier this year with the goal of creating a VR/AR standard. This VRDC Fall 2017 panel comprised of OpenXR working group experts from Epic, Google, Sensics and Valve will provide new updates on the goals, content and status of this critical standards effort, which is of import to everyone working (or thinking of working) in the VR industry.

And of course, VRDC Fall 2017 will also play host to some exciting talks that zero in on the specifics of designing for mixed-reality, that nebulous expanding space in the VR/AR spectrum.

Most notably, VRDC organizers are excited to welcome the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's own Nathaniel Guy to VRDC Fall 2017, where he'll be delivering a fascinating talk on "Mixed Reality for Space Exploration."

Using MR/VR applications, the scientists and engineers at NASA JPL can plan activities for the Mars Curiosity rover and analyze Martian geology while walking on a 3D reconstruction of the Martian surface. Guy's session will present recent projects that leverage immersive technology to tackle unique visualization and interaction challenges, and discuss research that shows the beneficial effects of using MR to accomplish these tasks.